objectives

- To measure occupational exposures to environmental tobacco smoke in diverse settings, including offices and production areas, and to evaluate the effectiveness of policies that restrict or ban smoking in the workplace.

Design

- Survey.

The average weekly concentration of environmental tobacco smoke was measured with passive monitors that sample nicotine.

Main Outcome Measures

- The distribution of nicotine concentrations in various work settings as a function of company smoking policy.

Results

- Worksite smoking policy had a major effect on the nicotine concentrations, which fell from a median of 8.6 mug/m3 in the open offices at worksites that allowed smoking to 1.3 mug/m3 in sites that restricted smoking, and to 0.3 mug/m3 in worksites that banned smoking.

Conclusion

- All three evaluation methods indicated that occupational exposure to environmental tobacco smoke presents a substantial risk to workers in the absence of a policy restricting or banning smoking.